Janice J. Beaty’s best-selling Observing Development of the Young Child teaches its audience how to observe, record, and interpret the development of children ages three through five by utilizing a unique checklist to document each aspect of development. This proven resource discusses what these young children are like, and how to support them in their early development with exciting hands-on activities. Even though the new edition has undergone quite an extensive revision, long-time adoptees and fans of the book in its previous editions can rest assured that the author has preserved many of the original features while adapting them to new circumstances of today’s early childhood education environment, the key issues, and new research. Streamlined from previous editions, with 12 chapters instead of 14, this practical, easy-to-use system is based on a progression of children’s skill development in six major areas: emotional, social, physical, cognitive, language, and creative.  Used successfully in early childhood programs all over the country since its inception, this unique and mainstay text looks at child development versus child behaviors, preparing its readers to become avid observers, recording what he/she sees, mastering how to interpret the data, and becoming adept at how to use the observations to plan for the young individuals they will encounter.

Janice J. Beaty is a professor emerita, Elmira College, Elmira, New York.  Dr. Beaty is not only a writer of many college texts for early childhood educators, but also a traveler. Her books for Pearson include Skills for Preschool Teachers, 9^th ed., 2012, Early Literacy in Preschool and Kindergarten with L. Pratt, 3^rd ed., 2011; 50 Early Childhood Literacy Strategies, 3^rd ed., 2013;and 50 Early Childhood Guidance Strategies, 2006. She developed a training program for CDA trainers and led training workshops at Elmira College, Elmira, NY, in Columbia, SC, and Orlando, Fl. She has visited early childhood programs in China, Russia, Poland, Bermuda, and pueblos in New Mexico, Arizona, and many in central Missouri where she does training of Foster Grandparents who work in the classrooms. She has been a keynote speaker at early childhood conferences in Montreal, Chicago, Oshkosh, WI, San Antonio, and New Orleans. When she is not at her computer in her office on a Cape Coral canal, you might find her “out west” in one of the National Parks creating another “Jarod and the Mystery of….” juvenile books for middle school children.